In Sermon Illustrations: "Absent From The Body"

Faith Like That

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Jul 2, 2012

FAITH LIKE THAT The bishop's car ran out of petrol. His wife, who was a passenger remembered seeing a garage half a mile back down the road. He got out the car and started to search the boot of the car for a container, but the only one he could find was his baby grandson's potty - so that had to ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Brethren

The Impact Of Mothers On Conscience

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2012

THE IMPACT OF MOTHERS ON CONSCIENCE According to research published in Psychological Science (October 2004 issue), children who have the good fortune to interact with their mothers a lot develop healthier consciences. These researchers conducts a couple of experiments where they encouraged ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 6:20-23

Tags: Mother's Day

The Wonder Of The Human Heart  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 1, 2012

THE WONDER OF THE HUMAN HEART Consider the power of your heart. It averages beating about eighty times a minute and the average cardiac output is about six liters of blood every minute. The next time you are in Walmart, go to the aisle where all the two liter drinks are and consider that every ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:13-16

Tags: Heart

If Crumbs Of Joy Now, What Next?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2012

IF CRUMBS OF JOY NOW, WHAT NEXT? A widely respected man known as "Uncle Johnson" died in Michigan at the incredible age of 120. Perhaps his advanced years could be credited in part to the cheerful outlook that characterized his life. One day while at work in his garden, he was singing songs of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, 1 Corinthians 2:2

Tags: Joy

The Significance Of Spit

Contributed by Perry Greene on Aug 13, 2012

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SPIT Now why did Jesus spit in the blind man’s eyes? This is similar to another time when he spit in some dust and made clay, with which he anointed blind eyes (Mark 7:33). If a modern evangelist or missionary followed Jesus’ example in this, how well received would it ...read more

Tags: Knowing God's Will

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Ali Kissed 'em!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 16, 2012

"ALI KISSED 'EM!" Former boxing writer Harold Conrad visited a women's prison with heavyweight fighter Muhammad Ali. "All the inmates lined up," wrote Conrad. "They were ooh-ing and aah-ing as he went along. There were some good-looking ones. But he kissed only the ugly ones." After they left the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:7

Tags: Kindness

The Blue And Red Spigots

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Sep 13, 2012

THE BLUE AND RED SPIGOTS John Michael Cussick (Surfing for God, 104) took out two brass spigots. One has a red knob and the other has a blue knob. The red knob represents how we often look at the Christian life. The assumption is that the source from which the water flows is a cesspool and so we ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Lutheran

God Is Not An Editor

Contributed by David Tack on Oct 17, 2012

GOD IS NOT AN EDITOR "God is looking for common ordinary people like you and me who are willing to let Him use as He sees fit. He wants to write our story, He doesn’t want to be our editor. But, we want to write the story and then we call God in as our editor. When the story gets messy then we ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Storage Wars. ...

Contributed by Tim Spear on Dec 6, 2012

I enjoy watching a TV show called Storage Wars. In this reality show people bid on storage units that have been abandoned after having five minutes to look at them from the doorway. I enjoy watching because many times they find some great treasures worth a lot of money buried in all the other ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Baptist

Plenty Of Time

Contributed by Perry Greene on Feb 13, 2013

PLENTY OF TIME William Sangster was a hard-driving 19th Century preacher. He wrote about his life, "A busy life, no time to think. No time for rich, rewarding meditation and prayer. No interior life. No quietness and poise. Hence, rush invades restlessness. Repetition. No new thoughts of ...read more

Tags: Affliction, Time, Abiding In Christ

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Grace And Matthew

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Mar 12, 2013

GRACE AND MATTHEW These days people don't know Matthew as a failure and embarrassment who sold his soul to the Romans for a job. We know Matthew as a follower of Jesus who wrote the first book of the New Testament. It's important to understand that the grace of God doesn't simply invite us to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:27-31

Tags: Grace, Jesus Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Meaning Of Life. The Wasted Years Of Life. ...  PRO

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Mar 23, 2013

The meaning of life. The wasted years of life. The poor choices of life. God answers the mess of life with one word: grace. We talk as though we understand the term. The bank gives us a grace period. The seedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a grace note. We describe an ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:32

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

What I Saw At The Abortion Clinic

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 20, 2014

"What I Saw at the Abortion Clinic" by Richard Selzer. In this article he talks about witnessing a 19 week old fetus being aborted by an injection procedure no longer in use. He described the abortionist sliding the needle of the syringe into the woman's belly, and then, he writes, "I see ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:5

Tags: Abortion, Womb

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Guidelines For Praying  PRO

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 4, 2014

GUIDELINES FOR PRAYING If the request is wrong, God says, "No." If the timing is wrong, God says, "Slow." If you are wrong, God says, "Grow." But if the request is right, the timing is right and you are right, God says, "Go!" Here is a prayer where everything was RIGHT: In its early days, ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-7

Tags: Faith, Prayer, Prayer Answered

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Trusting Faith

Contributed by Kristen Wright Zeller on Aug 26, 2014

Those who share Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior begin to become as magnets to those who share the same intimate relationship. While humans range from "new" to "elder," there is still a feeling of familiarity in those who gather together to worship in spirit and in truth. A sense somewhat of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:7

Tags: Trust, Recognize God, Faith To Believe, Move Mountains

Denomination: Christian Church

Door Of Hope

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2015

There is a small metal door painted white in the side of a tiny mission church in Johannesburg South Africa. This door is changing lives. On it are painted the words “door of hope.” That is exactly what it is for various babies within the city. On average some forty to fifty babies were being ...read more

Scripture: John 10:7-10

Tags: Hope, Jesus The Door, Rescuing Babies

Following What You Can't See

Contributed by Richard Wimpey on May 18, 2015

Last year I atteneded a miracle league softball game that my grandaughter Addie was playing in. It was amazing to watch all the children with disabilities play ball. Many of the parents would tell the kids when to swing the bat to help them connect with the ball. As one little girl hit the ball I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:28-29

Tags: Holy Spirit, Blind Faith, Blind

Denomination: Baptist

Several Years Ago I Read A Story Written By A...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 11, 2015

Several years ago I read a story written by a preacher in the Philippine Islands. One day he was passing a large church on Good Friday when he spotted many selling incense, candles, veils and rosaries. He also saw several small boys who were running about selling crosses. He heard them calling, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Take Up Your Cross, Carrying Your Cross, Message Of The Cross, Cheap Grace

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Not Much Help

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

In his Peanuts strip, Charles Schulz had an amazing talent for communicating truths like this in humorous, memorable ways. In one strip Charlie Brown rests his head in his hands while leaning on the wall and looking miserable. His friend, Lucy, approaches. “Discouraged again, eh, Charlie Brown?” ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Criticism, Critical, Judging

Denomination: Charismatic

N.t. Wright Quote On Christian Artists

Contributed by Matthew Redder on Sep 21, 2018

I love this quote as I believe it is hard for the Christian artist to always understand their place in the church. Truth be told, artists have an incredible gift and responsibility in the community to illuminate the realities of the Word and of this life we live. Wright puts it well: "The ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:23, Exodus 35:35, Proverbs 22:29, Romans 12:2, Romans 12:6, 1 Timothy 4:14, Ephesians 2:10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Christian Artist, Musician, Painter, Poet, Dancer, Music, Creator, Dance, Art, Creative, Artist  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational